Live Blog: Norwegian Breakaway Inaugural Transatlantic Cruise!

[igfan]

Tuesday, May 7 - Arrival in New York City

 

 

Besides a business trip to San Francisco later this month, my only other planned trip is a week at the beach with my family in July. I’ll need to start planning a trip for the fall. Any suggestions? :-)

 

Thanks for blogging live Mike! I really enjoyed your blog!! How about going back on the breakaway on Sept 8th to Bermuda! :) Thanks again for doing the live review!

[Mulan2]

Mike, Thank you so much for blogging and all of the wonderful pictures! We are going to book soon so your blog has been amazingly helpful!!

[philamike]

Jenny105: re: aft balconies. I only saw the one, but maybe the photo wasn’t the best representation as it does seem very roomy.

 

Missmet31: re: large balconies. Yes I saw one, and they are very comfortable compared to the standard ones.

 

Tiffygirl:

re: Ocean Blue cost. Yes, I did think the $35 cover was worth it. Philly has great restaurants, a night out at one of them will cost much more. So I was able to get gourmet-quality food at an affordable price; plus the service was really great.

Re: Second City Family Reunion. Yes it is a lunch. Choice of salmon or chicken for your entrée. $20 cost. I don’t know what day they will do it on the regular cruises, but it will definitely be a sea day.

Re: spa and vibe passes. Sorry I wasn’t able to find this out for you. Perhaps you can post your question on the main NCL board and someone will know.

Re: Moderno vs. Cagney’s. I may need to rethink this, as my dinner in Cagney’s last night was the best I’ve had compared to other Cagney’s experiences on other ships. But they are a bit hard to compare, as they are different styles of restaurants. Let’s just say both are excellent. :-)

 

Riknat: empty space on deck 10. Hmm, if there was a balcony there, I didn’t hear about it. I’m inclined to say that it’s not, though.

 

JaneBP: re: Facebook contact. Thank you! I’ll respond back to you later today or tomorrow.

 

Macfin: re: hot dogs. Yes I found the hot dog cart yesterday on the Waterfront!

 

Luvcruise50: re: kids programs. I’m sorry I can’t comment much on the kids programs, but I can tell you that any shows with adult themes are clearly stated as such in the Freestyle Daily newsletters.

 

Kollegekreed: re: Howl at the Moon. Yes they were on board, and yes you were correct – I simply didn’t have time to see them! But I heard they were great.

 

Sdmike and dmwnc1959: re: photos. Awesome!! Thank you for posting those! :-)

 

7leagueboots: re: punching bags. I bet the crew uses them more than the passengers – helps relieve frustration! :-)

[roe2ship]

Welcome back, Mike! Thanks so much for this live blog...it was an awesome read with the perfect amount of real helpful information.

 

I have a question, please.....What is that screen in the atrium used for all day? I seem to recall that some other NCL ships would use this screen for Nintendo Wii games at scheduled times. Any info on that?? Thanks!:)

[tel2]

Thanks so much for doing this. It has been so helpful in terms of our planning (and was a great read too). Cannot wwait to see your photos.

 

Terry

[newcruiser48]

Welcome home! Thank you for taking the time to take all of us with you on your journey, it's been awesome.

[js]

Thank you very much for taking the time to answer my questions and for the great blog and pictures. It was a wonderful read!

Thanks!

[philamike]

Welcome back, Mike! Thanks so much for this live blog...it was an awesome read with the perfect amount of real helpful information.

 

I have a question, please.....What is that screen in the atrium used for all day? I seem to recall that some other NCL ships would use this screen for Nintendo Wii games at scheduled times. Any info on that?? Thanks!:)

 

Yes, Breakaway also has Wii games here. Some presentations/Q&As take place in the Atrium during the day. Otherwise, the screen repeats videos (no audio) about New York City, the Rockettes, etc.

 

- Mike :-)

[sioutpost]

Mike, thank you for taking the time to share your cruise. Learned a lot.

Safe trip home:)

[patter44]

Excellent job, thank you so very much. You just about answered all my questions without me having to ask them. Look forward to seeing the Dailys and Menus.

[gambee]

Thank you so much for all your hard work, it was very much appreciated by many of us.

[KrystalWaters]

Thank you so much. I looked forward to your daily blog and you didn't disappoint. I appreciate the time and $$ spent doing this. Safe traves home.:)

Edited May 7, 2013 by KrystalWaters

[youngestof9]

awesome blog! I was looking for you today getting off the ship - I ran in to take some pictures :) Thanks for sharing your experience!! Makes me even more excited to sail.

[MMFM3]

Great review!!! Looking forward to our June 30th sailing!!! Thank you!!:D

[Educators2]

Thanks so much. Loved reading your blog every day.

[Dandy7]

Thanks, Mike. The info you've provided will help us all when it's our turn to cruise on this beautiful ship. Looking forward to your posts regarding dailies and menus. What did you eat at Cagneys that last night?

[roe2ship]

Yes, Breakaway also has Wii games here. Some presentations/Q&As take place in the Atrium during the day. Otherwise, the screen repeats videos (no audio) about New York City, the Rockettes, etc.

 

- Mike :-)

Sounds perfect, thank you!;)

[SissasMomE]

I just wanted to say thank you for everything!! It was so appreciated!

[Zhane's mum]

Great live blog,thank you so much for doing this :)

[lowroller]

Ditto all of the above!

Thanks

[TRESE]

Philamike.......I suggest the beautiful Adirondacks in the Fall. Lake George area is surrounded by colorful mountains. Or the Lake Placid area....I'm partial to Lake George though. ( I live 10 minutes from there) :)

 

Great Blog.....I can't wait to board her on the 12th!! 4 more days!!

 

Trese

[bob brown]

I have so much enjoyed your blog, I would like to know if you are planning any others in the future. I would read it, for sure.:)

 

Ya know, the Quantum of the Seas is coming to Bayonne in a year or two....(hint, hint):D;)

[philamike]

Thanks, Mike. The info you've provided will help us all when it's our turn to cruise on this beautiful ship. Looking forward to your posts regarding dailies and menus. What did you eat at Cagneys that last night?

 

I started with a crab salad, then the pea soup -- the soup was excellent, as it resembled lentil soup rather than the cooked down pea soup that you'd find in a can. My entree was the 18 oz. bone-in ribeye steak, with an au jus sauce. Soooo good! It was perfectly cooked.

 

And dessert was the Oreo cheesecake. It's huge! It could be half the size, and still be too much. But also tasty.

 

- Mike :-)

[Whippets]

Wow Phil, you did a wonderful job of describing our cruise! Art and I were off the ship this morning at 6:20, waited about 15 minutes for a taxi in the line across from Terminal 88. Ride to JFK was about 45 minutes. Wanted to share that story with the readers about to head to NYC. We were talking to a couple in the taxi line behind us and decided to share a cab as we were both headed for JFK. After getting in the cab and heading out the other gentleman noticed that the meter wasn't registering. He questioned that and the cab driver said it was "broken". Our other couple were here visiting from London. He asked then what the price would be and the driver told him $75. I quickly spoke up and told him that I had paid $45 on my last visit and in his broken English he told me that I was wrong......"no one charges that, it must have been many years since you were here". I told him no, that was not the case.

He agreed after going back and forth on $60 plus a tip. When my husband's suit case fell over after being placed on the ground, he kicked it. Not exactly the ending to a wonderful cruise that I expected. So beware and agree on a set price prior to GETTING IN THE CAB! Lesson learned.

 

I had the "hump" balcony and yes, it definately is much bigger than the standard ones. The bed configuration also seemed to determine how much space you had between the bed and the closet. Some of the rooms had two nightstands on either side of the bed. Ours had a much smaller night stand on the other side of the sofa. Something else that has not been mentioned -

there are no drawers for storage. There are shelves in the closet, some storage space in the night stands and two shelves under the television. I could see that two women with a lot of clothing could run into a problem here. My husband and I are light packers and it worked out okay for us.

 

Our friends were in a mini suite lll86, they did not have a bathtub but an extra large shower and beautiful large sink. Their bed was next to the closet also but they had the two nightstand set up with more room next to the door.

 

Loved meeting everyone on our roll call, we had some fantastic people in the group. Some of us met for lunch on the last sea day. We did not collect cabin numbers so were unable to get up with everyone when we decided this last minute.

 

Thanks Mike for sharing all of your beautiful photos. You got many more than we did. I hope our travels will cross again in the future.

[Misscpa]

Thank you, I really enjoyed reading!

 

I also recommend lake George. It is such a beautiful area.

 

Melissa